Who’s afraid of Garin? Not these lawmakers

Acting Health Secretary Janette Garin Photo from congress.gov.ph

Everyone is safe around acting Health Secretary Janette Garin. Or so some senators believe.

Administration senators on Thursday came to the defense of Garin, who is under fire for making an “unprotected” visit to Caballo Island where the peacekeepers from Ebola-hit Liberia are being kept in quarantine.

According to Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, he wouldn’t mind shaking hands with Garin when she makes an appearance at the Senate on Monday to defend the budget of the Department of Health.

“I think we are all safe,” he told reporters.

Guingona dismissed the fears expressed by many that Garin may have exposed herself to the deadly virus by visiting the peacekeepers.

“First of all, someone there should have Ebola already [for Garin to catch it]. Secondly, you can only get Ebola if you have physical contact with a person’s body fluids. The body fluids include urine, vomit, feces and blood. If you have physical contact with these, then you can get the virus. So, I think the chances are very minimal,” he said.

Sen. Francis Escudero jokingly suggested last Wednesday that Garin wear protective gear when she goes to the Senate, if only to teach her a lesson on following protocol.

Ignores calls

Garin rejected Escudero’s proposal, saying she would lecture the senators on the Ebola virus. She has ignored calls to undergo quarantine.

Garin and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang drew a storm of criticism when they visited the 138 returning peacekeepers quarantined on Caballo Island on Manila Bay last Sunday without wearing the required protective suits, masks and gloves.

The peacekeepers and other Filipinos arriving from Ebola-hit countries are made to undergo a mandatory 21-day quarantine.

Senate President Franklin Drilon appealed for understanding for Garin, as she is a medical professional who should know what she is doing.

“Let us not go overboard. Let’s respect Janette Garin. She will not do something that will put our countrymen at risk,” he told Bombo Radyo.

Otherwise, Drilon urged the government to intensify the public information campaign on Ebola.

“There is undeniably a growing misunderstanding about the disease which creates unnecessary panic and anxiety among our people. I have a very limited knowledge about the virus and so do my colleagues,” he said.

Drilon said the public should listen to experts on the virus. “Let us avoid creating undue fear and panic. Let us be united in maintaining our country’s Ebola-free status,” he said.

He and Guingona said they believed that Garin was only doing her job when she visited the peacekeepers.

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